Do What You Are Able to Do

by Andy Sochor

Those who are conscientious Christians will have a desire to do all that they can in service to God. And as we see the needs that exist around us, it is natural for us to want to provide help for all that we can.

However, the reality is that we cannot provide all of the help that we may want to provide. No matter how diligent we are, there will always be more good works that we wish we could do. This can be discouraging, even though our hearts may be in the right place.

Therefore, it is good to remember what the apostle Paul told the brethren in Corinth: “For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have" (II Corinthians 8:12). The context was about the Corinthians providing financial assistance to needy Christians in Jerusalem. However, the principle contained in this verse applies to us in various situations today.

God wants us to be ready to do good and judges us based on our ability. In other words, we do not need to worry about what we cannot do; instead, we need to focus on what we can do.

So do what you are able to do. We can surely think of many good things that we might desire to do in service to God or to help others. While we should strive to do all that we can, we also need to recognize our own limitations and simply focus on using our abilities to make the most of our opportunities.